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Best states for a broadcast engineer
Quoted expert
Ian Corbett
- Rank 1 - 10
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It seems like broadcast engineers are becoming more and more common across America. But working conditions and demand for broadcast engineers aren't the same everywhere in the U.S. Although there are abundant broadcast engineer jobs in the United States, a large number of them are in the Midwest. Virginia is the best state in the country for broadcast engineer jobs.
The median salary for broadcast engineers in Virginia is $104,962. Compare that to the median salary in Mississippi of $55,930, which ranked worst for broadcast engineers, and you can see how your location is important for your career.We found that the Midwest is best for broadcast engineers, and the Northeast is the worst. Arlington, VA is the best city in the country for broadcast engineer jobs, where as Virginia is the best state in the country.
10 best states for broadcast engineers in 2025
1. Virginia
Total broadcast engineer jobs: 535 Average annual salary: $104,962 Lowest 10 percent earn: $70,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $155,000 Location Quotient: 2.14
2. New York
Total broadcast engineer jobs: 371 Average annual salary: $99,704 Lowest 10 percent earn: $67,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $146,000 Location Quotient: 1.09
3. Oregon
Total broadcast engineer jobs: 169 Average annual salary: $87,260 Lowest 10 percent earn: $60,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $125,000 Location Quotient: 1.54
4. Colorado
Total broadcast engineer jobs: 245 Average annual salary: $80,824 Lowest 10 percent earn: $58,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $112,000 Location Quotient: 1.55
5. Texas
Total broadcast engineer jobs: 502 Average annual salary: $82,001 Lowest 10 percent earn: $56,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $118,000 Location Quotient: 0.93
6. California
Total broadcast engineer jobs: 1,332 Average annual salary: $84,390 Lowest 10 percent earn: $58,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $122,000 Location Quotient: 1.72
7. Ohio
Total broadcast engineer jobs: 155 Average annual salary: $85,184 Lowest 10 percent earn: $58,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $123,000 Location Quotient: 0.57
8. Florida
Total broadcast engineer jobs: 394 Average annual salary: $76,746 Lowest 10 percent earn: $50,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $117,000 Location Quotient: 0.95
9. Maine
Total broadcast engineer jobs: 15 Average annual salary: $86,772 Lowest 10 percent earn: $59,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $127,000 Location Quotient: 0.43
10. Delaware
Total broadcast engineer jobs: 63 Average annual salary: $74,487 Lowest 10 percent earn: $50,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $109,000 Location Quotient: 1.89
Broadcast engineer jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a broadcast engineer
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a broadcast engineer
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Virginia | $104,962 | $70,000 | 8,470,020 | 535 |
| 2 | New York | $99,704 | $67,000 | 19,849,399 | 371 |
| 3 | Oregon | $87,260 | $60,000 | 4,142,776 | 169 |
| 4 | Colorado | $80,824 | $58,000 | 5,607,154 | 245 |
| 5 | Texas | $82,001 | $56,000 | 28,304,596 | 502 |
| 6 | California | $84,390 | $58,000 | 39,536,653 | 1,332 |
| 7 | Ohio | $85,184 | $58,000 | 11,658,609 | 155 |
| 8 | Florida | $76,746 | $50,000 | 20,984,400 | 394 |
| 9 | Maine | $86,772 | $59,000 | 1,335,907 | 15 |
| 10 | Delaware | $74,487 | $50,000 | 961,939 | 63 |
| 11 | West Virginia | $85,685 | $58,000 | 1,815,857 | 17 |
| 12 | Kentucky | $80,781 | $56,000 | 4,454,189 | 45 |
| 13 | New Hampshire | $74,154 | $50,000 | 1,342,795 | 37 |
| 14 | Rhode Island | $76,433 | $51,000 | 1,059,639 | 17 |
| 15 | Washington | $71,721 | $50,000 | 7,405,743 | 321 |
| 16 | Utah | $70,767 | $50,000 | 3,101,833 | 88 |
| 17 | Pennsylvania | $75,321 | $51,000 | 12,805,537 | 155 |
| 18 | Connecticut | $76,152 | $51,000 | 3,588,184 | 60 |
| 19 | Nevada | $72,706 | $50,000 | 2,998,039 | 39 |
| 20 | Oklahoma | $78,026 | $55,000 | 3,930,864 | 35 |
| 21 | South Carolina | $73,467 | $49,000 | 5,024,369 | 65 |
| 22 | District of Columbia | $73,483 | $49,000 | 693,972 | 175 |
| 23 | Vermont | $71,335 | $48,000 | 623,657 | 18 |
| 24 | North Carolina | $69,188 | $46,000 | 10,273,419 | 221 |
| 25 | Michigan | $66,801 | $46,000 | 9,962,311 | 177 |
| 26 | Louisiana | $71,040 | $48,000 | 4,684,333 | 44 |
| 27 | Massachusetts | $68,410 | $46,000 | 6,859,819 | 267 |
| 28 | Illinois | $67,178 | $47,000 | 12,802,023 | 268 |
| 29 | Wyoming | $62,253 | $45,000 | 579,315 | 19 |
| 30 | Maryland | $66,633 | $45,000 | 6,052,177 | 318 |
| 31 | South Dakota | $67,963 | $49,000 | 869,666 | 9 |
| 32 | New Jersey | $69,095 | $46,000 | 9,005,644 | 144 |
| 33 | Minnesota | $65,354 | $46,000 | 5,576,606 | 131 |
| 34 | Montana | $67,270 | $49,000 | 1,050,493 | 13 |
| 35 | Alabama | $60,703 | $41,000 | 4,874,747 | 106 |
| 36 | Arizona | $61,001 | $43,000 | 7,016,270 | 171 |
| 37 | Indiana | $60,098 | $42,000 | 6,666,818 | 131 |
| 38 | North Dakota | $63,835 | $46,000 | 755,393 | 6 |
| 39 | New Mexico | $62,286 | $43,000 | 2,088,070 | 28 |
| 40 | Georgia | $60,612 | $41,000 | 10,429,379 | 218 |
| 41 | Arkansas | $59,573 | $42,000 | 3,004,279 | 44 |
| 42 | Tennessee | $60,781 | $42,000 | 6,715,984 | 60 |
| 43 | Hawaii | $57,929 | $47,000 | 1,427,538 | 17 |
| 44 | Idaho | $59,982 | $42,000 | 1,716,943 | 27 |
| 45 | Wisconsin | $59,434 | $41,000 | 5,795,483 | 82 |
| 46 | Nebraska | $54,296 | $39,000 | 1,920,076 | 54 |
| 47 | Iowa | $58,452 | $41,000 | 3,145,711 | 44 |
| 48 | Alaska | $49,974 | $37,000 | 739,795 | 18 |
| 49 | Kansas | $57,646 | $41,000 | 2,913,123 | 28 |
| 50 | Missouri | $55,846 | $40,000 | 6,113,532 | 68 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $55,930 | $38,000 | 2,984,100 | 19 |
Highest paying states for broadcast engineers
| Rank | State | Avg. Broadcast Engineer Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Virginia | $104,962 |
| 2 | New York | $99,704 |
| 3 | Oregon | $87,260 |
| 4 | Colorado | $80,824 |
| 5 | Texas | $82,001 |
| 6 | California | $84,390 |
| 7 | Ohio | $85,184 |
| 8 | Florida | $76,746 |
| 9 | Maine | $86,772 |
| 10 | Delaware | $74,487 |
| 11 | West Virginia | $85,685 |
| 12 | Kentucky | $80,781 |
| 13 | New Hampshire | $74,154 |
| 14 | Rhode Island | $76,433 |
| 15 | Washington | $71,721 |
| 16 | Utah | $70,767 |
| 17 | Pennsylvania | $75,321 |
| 18 | Connecticut | $76,152 |
| 19 | Nevada | $72,706 |
| 20 | Oklahoma | $78,026 |
| 21 | South Carolina | $73,467 |
| 22 | District of Columbia | $73,483 |
| 23 | Vermont | $71,335 |
| 24 | North Carolina | $69,188 |
| 25 | Michigan | $66,801 |
| 26 | Louisiana | $71,040 |
| 27 | Massachusetts | $68,410 |
| 28 | Illinois | $67,178 |
| 29 | Wyoming | $62,253 |
| 30 | Maryland | $66,633 |
| 31 | South Dakota | $67,963 |
| 32 | New Jersey | $69,095 |
| 33 | Minnesota | $65,354 |
| 34 | Montana | $67,270 |
| 35 | Alabama | $60,703 |
| 36 | Arizona | $61,001 |
| 37 | Indiana | $60,098 |
| 38 | North Dakota | $63,835 |
| 39 | New Mexico | $62,286 |
| 40 | Georgia | $60,612 |
| 41 | Arkansas | $59,573 |
| 42 | Tennessee | $60,781 |
| 43 | Hawaii | $57,929 |
| 44 | Idaho | $59,982 |
| 45 | Wisconsin | $59,434 |
| 46 | Nebraska | $54,296 |
| 47 | Iowa | $58,452 |
| 48 | Alaska | $49,974 |
| 49 | Kansas | $57,646 |
| 50 | Missouri | $55,846 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $55,930 |
Expert opinions on the best states for broadcast engineers
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for broadcast engineers to find work opportunities?
Ian Corbett
Coordinator & Professor of Audio Engineering, Kansas City Kansas Community College Audio Engineering Society Vice-President, Central USA & Canada, Audio Engineering Society
This is an ever-developing situation. As some cities become expensive, some companies relocate to cities with cheaper costs of living. It is important for the job-seeker to balance how they want to live and what they want to do. Los Angeles and New York offer a lot of opportunity generally, but with increased competition and increased cost of living. For gaming, cities like Austin and Baltimore have growing creative communities, in addition to the coasts. Various geographic regions offer their own opportunities, just different ones - for example, most cities have regional arts and theater opportunities, and it's possible to make a great living in many larger cities doing audio-visual and corporate audio work.
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Updated January 8, 2025